LINER NOTES:

1. Another Perfect Day in Eden
Ben Diamond and Andy Wang
Steel: Taro Patch Tuning (D-G-D-G-B-D)

2. Wahine
Ben Diamond
Steel: Cyril's C Major (C-G-E-G-C-E)

3. Black Adder
Ben Diamond
Steel: Curtis D Tuning (D-A-D-A-D-E)

4. Stick it to the Man
Ben Diamond and Dan Doll
Steel: Curtis D Tuning (D-A-D-A-D-E)

5. Naked and Afraid
Ben Diamond and Dee Harris
Steel: F-Wahine (C-F-C-G-C-E)

6. Busted
Ben Diamond (Nod to Leo Kottke)
Steel: Curtis D Tuning (D-A-D-A-D-E)

7. End of August
Ben Diamond
Steel: Irish C Tuning (C-G-C-G-C-D)

8. Danse Macabre
Ben Diamond and Dee Harris
Steel: G Minor, Capo-2 (D-G-D-G-Bb-D)

9. Barefoot on the Range
Keola Beamer
Nylon: D Wahine (D-A-D-F#-A-C#)

10. Blue Morpho
Ben Diamond
Nylon: D Wahine (D-A-D-F#-A-C#)

11. Hawaiki Rising   (Hold on: Ho'okele Wa'a (Wayfinding))
Ben Diamond and Andy Wang
Steel: Cyril's C Major (C-G-E-G-C-E)

12. The Trouble with Monkeys
Ben Diamond
Steel: Curtis D Tuning (D-A-D-A-D-E)

13. Another Perfect Day in Eden (Reprise)
Ben Diamond and Andy Wang

Andy Wang: Guitar Lead on "Another Perfect Day in Eden"
Ben Diamond: Guitar.
Dan Doll: Lap Steel on "Stick It To The Man". Additional slide guitar on "Danse Macabre".
Dee Harris: Lead on "Naked and Afraid" and "Danse Macabre". Banjo on "Danse Macabre".
Emedin Rivera: Percussion on "Naked and Afraid".
Jeff Brody: Bass on "Wahine", "Busted", "Trouble With Monkeys", and "Naked and Afraid".
Lance Cheney: Drums on "Wahine", "Busted", and "Danse Macabre".
Patrick Ruhlman: Bass on "Another Perfect Day in Eden".

© 2016, Ben Diamond.  Email: lihslackkey-at-aol.com  www.ben-diamond.com

Artwork: "The Garden of Eden with the Fall of Man", Peter Paul Rubens and Jan Brueghel, 1617

Out of Eden Cover Art

Custom Koa guitars by Vance Peters, Bucksport, Maine. http://www.vancestropicalfish.org/ (Yes .. the link goes to a tropical fish store .. Vance sells tropical fish and builds awesome guitars.  His guitar page is down right now, so contact him via the fish site.)  Or heck, he's on Facebook.

If you want to hear some of my older CD's, check out https://benkaimanadiamond.bandcamp.com/


Update: 2/15/2016.  Several fans have asked: "Hey Ben ... Just curious, why did you choose this painting for your CD cover? Is there any significance to the music?"

Yes, the painting relates to the songs.  The album is called “Out of Eden”, which tells the story of man’s fall from grace and our search for redemption.  It is a concept album.  I’m telling the story of Eden without lyrics, using only the music and the titles.  
 
1. Another Perfect Day in Eden - Here, I'm setting the stage, before “the fall”.
 
2. Wahine - Wahine is Hawaiian for “Woman”, so here I’m introducing one of the story’s central characters. Same thing with the next song.
 
3. Black Adder - This is a type of snake – probably not the same type of snake referenced in the story of Eden, but I love the way the words “Black Adder” sounds, hard and biting.  And it goes perfect with the song.
 
4. Stick it to the Man - Well, now that I’ve got the characters introduced, what do they do?  They “stick it to the man” by disobeying his one command.
 
5. Naked and Afraid – In guilt, Adam and Eve feel naked and afraid.
 
6. Busted – This has a few meanings here. A. they got caught, busted.  B. The main riff is lifted from a Leo Kottke song called “Busted Bicycle”.  I might as well own up to it before I too am "Busted".  So I’m going for both meanings.
 
7. End of August - August being the end of summer, end of easy living, end of innocence.
 
8. Danse Macbre - The dance of death. Think Kane killing Able, suffering of humanity. Expulsion from Eden meant suffering and death.
 
9. Barefoot on the Range - Symbolizing man’s wandering the Earth in search of a new home.
 
10. Blue Morpho - The butterfly is a symbol of change, rebirth, hope.  The song is inspired by a short story in Bob Bobala's 2007 book of short stories entitled "Sex Without Sight".  The story has absolutely nothing to do with this album and everything to do with original sin .. or sin of some kind.  A great read in either case. (Available on Amazon)
 
11. Hawaiki Rising - Based on Sam Low's book of the same name about Polynesian “wayfinders” (double-hull canoe explorers who found the Hawaiian Islands – a new home, a new paradise).
 
12. The Trouble with Monkeys - This song is also inspired by one of Bob Bobala's stories in "Sex Without Sight".  If you want a succinct explanation, check out Wikipedia's explanation of the cover art.  The key is in the paragraph about the “the sanguine monkey next to Adam”.  Basically, even though we’ve found a new home, a new paradise, sin still lives within man (symbolized by the monkey, who also eats the fruit) and so we are bound to repeat our history.  And so that leads into the reprise of “Another Perfect Day in Eden”.
 
13. Another Perfect Day in Eden (Reprise)